Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Do you ever go through your pantry and ask yourself, “How the heck did this get here?” Fortunately, this doesn’t happen to me very often, as my kitchen is only five feet wide and pantry real estate is at a premium. But the other day when I was reaching for my cocoa powder, I found a can of kidney beans.

Now, this might not seem so strange since, after all, canned beans are a pantry staple. But the thing is, I don’t really like kidney beans. Give me a bowl of pinto beans, black beans, lima beans, garbanzo beans, or black-eyed peas—and I’ll be asking for seconds in no time. Kidney beans, however, I’ve tended to avoid.

I’m not sure why I’m not fond of them, though perhaps it’s because they’re named after an organ. Or maybe one time I ate some thinking they would have the earthy depth of ranch-style beans, seeing how they’re a dark red and all, and instead bit into something mushy and flavorless. Who knows? It’s a mystery. (As is how these kidney beans ended up in my pantry!)
But no matter my aversion, I don’t like to waste food so these kidney beans had to be eaten. I asked a couple of friends what they thought I should do with them, and the best suggestion I heard was three-bean salad, an old summertime favorite in Texas and the south. This cold salad, so called because it’s made with three beans, a combination that usually includes kidney beans, green beans and garbanzo beans. But there are as many varieties of this salad as there are, well, varieties of beans.

Most three-bean salad recipes call for a sweet and sour mix of mustard and sugar, but I made mine creamy with mayonnaise instead. I also added dill for its tangy, grassy notes and some jalapeño and cayenne for heat. The results were refreshing, and I know that they’ll make a welcome addition to my next outdoor potluck gathering.

But the best thing—at least for me—was the discovery that kidney beans taste pretty good. And considering how healthy they are—they help lower bad cholesterol—I’m pleased to add them to my rotating cast of ingredients. Kidney beans—welcome to my pantry!

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Before I share the recipe, some gratitude is in order. Last week, Homesick Texan won the Best Regional Food Blog category in Saveur’s Second Annual Blog Awards. Thank you so much for your support! And a Texas-sized congratulations to all the winners and nominees!
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Method:
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and cook the green beans until bright green, but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain the green beans into a colander and run under cold water to stop them from cooking.

Place the cooked green beans in a large bowl and add the garbanzo beans, the kidney beans, the grape tomatoes, the garlic, the shallot and the jalapeño. Toss until combined. Stir in the vinegar, mayonnaise, dill, cumin and cayenne. Adjust seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste.

We make a bean soup during the winter time that is the "time to clear out the pantry" meal of choice. Canned beans, tomatoes, corn, etc. Throw it in a crock pot and dinner is ready in a few hours. This summer variation you present may put Texas Caviar in the backseat for once!

I LOVE kidney beans. They absorb the flavor of anything else and are so meaty, they work well as a meat substitute. I like to bake coat them with a little olive oil, some cumin and cayenne, bake them for 10 minutes, and then use them in fajitas or in Mexican salads. Yum!

OK, I know I'm talking to a Texan, but I'm just going to say it.. I put beans in my chili soup and along with Pinto's like to add Kidneys because they're somewhat the same color as the soup, so I think they're visually pretty floating around in all that wonderful rich flavor. They obviously make a handsome salad. Love the flavors here...especially the jalapeno and the cumin. Another bookmarked.

Shipwrekkt--Thank you! And it's hard to go wrong with creamy dill on a summer salad.

Lea Ann--Lots of my non-Texan friends love beans in their chili. And I think that may be how I ended up with a can, as when I have people over for chili, I like to have beans on hand if people request them. And that deep, dark red is definitely the perfect color for chili.

OK, One of the memorial day grilling items is some Meyer's Elgin sausage I ordered which should be along today. And a brisket -- not easy to find in New England since people here turn it into corned beef as soon as it gets cut off the cow.

I'm a huge fan of Texas caviar - but I liven it up with a lot of flat-leaf parsley (so there's jalepeno, bell pepper, red onion, black-eyed peas, and parsley swimming in balsamic vinegarette that got heated to boiling in my version). You can sneak some other types of beans in there and it tastes good - kidneys and white beans are good additions.

I also really love kidney beans in my ersatz version of the Austin baked beans from Goode Co. It's a five-bean bake, essentially, with lots of bacon and some hamburger meat. Mmmmm.

I always thought it was cheating when kidney beans showed up in my chili as a kid. Even in California (texan mom and grandma always put in pintos). Of course some people view beans in chili as bad. LOL So I view kidneys as "not a bean".

Hello, love your blog!I have to say that this is fast becoming one of my favorite summer salads. I've made it twice in the last month, and feel like I could eat it again and again. The only adjustment I've made is using plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise :)